Lars von Trier is So Nietzsche

In May, Christopher Campbell posted about Lars von Trier's depression, and how the director fears it will hurt or kill his career. See, the director was hospitalized earlier this year, and while he's now out, he can't focus on movies and the affliction has left him "like a blank sheet of paper." It's a bit ironic that this comes in the midst of von Trier's comedies, and not his emotionally heavy work like Dogville and Manderlay. The Boss of it All was recently released in the states, and Cinematical's Ryan Stewart described it as a "success, a refreshing change from the ponderous 'Grace trilogy,'" and that "Danish subtitles do nothing to slow down the laughs."

And there's even another comedy on the way, which proves that he's still got a sense of humor, even in the throes of depression. Erik Nietzsche, The Early Years is a comedic drama about Erik Nietzsche, "an intelligent, but in many ways inexperienced, shy young man who is convinced he wants to be a film director." He enrolls in the Danish National Film School, entering "a world of angry, unhelpful tutors, weird fellow students and unwritten rules," which make Erik feel "like a foreigner in the film industry." As Twitch recaps -- the director was originally tapped only to write the film, which is based on his own experiences. Now does the premise make sense? The original director, Lone Schefig has since dropped out and new director Jacob Thuesen has taken over the helm, but Lars is no longer credited as screenwriter -- Erik Nietzsche is. Ah, Lars, keep fighting. We need your entertaining, von Trier view of the world.